But then, at around 18 months old, Nicholas began regressing with his speech and motor skills, then refusing to answer to his name or notice people enter a room.

“We had no idea what was going on,” the Real Housewives of New Jersey star, who hid her son’s medical issues from the reality cameras as she continued taping season 4 last year, tells PEOPLE exclusively.

After an agonizing wait to see multiple doctors, the Lauritas got a diagnosis: Nicholas is autistic. Jacqueline Laurita on the cover of PEOPLE